The present invention relates to a bag stuffer having an insert movable from a collapsed orientation, which enables compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert, to an expanded orientation, which provides a commercial display of the expandable bag containing the insert.
Bag stuffers or expanders are well-known in the retail art. Each bag stuffer includes an insert which is movable from a collapsed orientation, which enables compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert for shipping and retail storage purposes, to an expanded orientation, which provides a commercial display of an expandable bag containing the insert. Bag stuffers are used with a wide variety of expandable articles which, for reasons of economy, are preferably shipped and stored in a relatively flat or collapsed orientation, but are best presented in commercial displays in an expanded orientation. Such articles include backpacks, baseball bags, basketball bags, belt bags, briefcases, cooler bags, cosmetic kits, cross trainer bags, duffle bags, Dop kits, bowling bags, fashion totes, hand bags, locker bags, lunch bags, pilot cases, purses, roller skating bags, snorkeling bags, soft-sided luggage, sports bags, sportsman""s gear bags, tackle bags, tennis bags, utility bags, and the like. The present invention can be used to stuff any of these bags and any other soft bags not specifically listed, as well.
Initially the function of the bag stuffer was performed by cardboard forms or crushed paper which had to be inserted by the retailer after receipt of the collapsed article from the manufacturer. Indeed, some bag stuffers still require the retailer to insert his hand or an instrument into the collapsed article to activate the bag stufferxe2x80x94that is, to move the insert from its collapsed orientation to its expanded orientation. However the modern bag stuffers typically include means for biasing the insert to the expanded orientation, and releasable restraining means which are disposed about the insert in the collapsed orientation for restraining movement of the insert from the collapsed orientation to the expanded orientation.
In its simplest form, the restraining means may be disposed about the outside of the expandable bag containing the insert so that the retailer has only to cut or otherwise disable the restraining means in order to activate the insert. This is generally not an acceptable situation as the restraining means (or the article used to cut or disable the restraining means) may mar the exterior surface of the bag, thereby rendering it unsaleable. Accordingly, most modern restraining means are disposed about the insert and within the expandable bag containing the insert, so that the restraining means cannot mar the exterior surface of the bag.
A further disadvantage of the known bag stuffers is the requirement that the ends of the biasing means (which is typically a coil spring) must be secured to the planar elements or panels of the insert against which they bear by adhesive or the like. The use of adhesive is typically messy and time consuming (as the adhesive must be given an opportunity to dry before it is subjected to forces which may result in relative movement of the spring and the panel), and therefore expensive. While non-adhesive techniques exist for securing the spring ends and planar elements of the insert together, these typically involve expensive and/or compound mechanisms. Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer wherein the ends of the biasing means are directly secured to the planar elements without adhesives and without expensive and/or compound mechanisms.
A further disadvantage of the known bag stuffers is the limitations on the configurations of the expandable bags with which they are useful. Thus while the known bag stuffers are typically useful with relatively shallow, generally rectangular bags, the various planar elements of the insert which abut the bag and are used to force the bag to its expanded orientation could not be used in connection with cylindrical or duffel-type bags or other bags not having parallel sides. Additionally, even where the bag has parallel sides, the biasing means typically cannot separate the planar elements by more than a given distance (determined by the length of the coil spring biasing means) unless an intermediate panel or flap is used (with the biasing means acting on the flap which in turn separates the planar elements). Accordingly, the need remains for a bag stuffer which can expand unusually shaped bags and which, without the presence of intermediate elements (such as flaps), permits the biasing means to move the planar elements abutting the bag to a desired separation greater than the length of the biasing means.
The inventor of the present invention has contributed to this field in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,542,767 and 5,259,674 which are incorporated here by reference. Both disclose the use of springs to deploy panels of a bag expander or stuffer.
A need still remains, however, for a bag stuffer of increased efficience and reduced cost and complexity for the luggage industry and related fields.
An object of the present invention is to provide a bag stuffer which is safe to use, simple and inexpensive to manufacture and deploy.
Another object is to provide a bag stuffer where the ends of the biasing means can be directly secured to the insert planar elements without adhesives and without expensive and/or compound mechanisms.
A further object is to provide a bag stuffer which permits the biasing means to move the planar elements abutting the bag to a desired separation greater than the length of the biasing means without the presence of intermediate elements such as flaps.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a bag stuffer which, in one embodiment, is useful with non-rectangular bags.
It has been found that the above and related objects of the present invention are obtained in a bag stuffer for an expandable bag. The bag stuffer comprises insert means, biasing means and restraining means. In its conventional aspects, the insert means is movable from a collapsed orientation for enabling compact storage of an expandable bag containing the insert means to an expanded orientation for providing a commercial display of an expandable bag containing the insert means. In their conventional aspects, the biasing means is for biasing the insert means to the expanded orientation, and the releasable restraining means, disposed about the insert means and at least partially within an expandable bag containing the insert means, is for restraining movement of the insert means from the collapsed orientation to the expanded orientation.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the restraining means comprises one or more loops of a flexible strap formed by heat sealing one end of the strap to a strap portion adjacent the other end of the strap at at least one point to define a rupturable heat-seal bond. In a preferred embodiment for the restraining means, one or more heat-seal bonds are used, the number and size and strength of the heat-seal bonds being selected to render the loop strong enough to maintain the insert means in the collapsed orientation against the biasing of the biasing means yet weak enough to enable easy intentional manual rupture thereof. Preferably the restraining means use a plurality of the heat-seal bonds disposed along an axis extending generally transverse to the length of the strap. The other end of the strap extends externally of an expandable bag containing the insert means, thereby to enable intentional manual rupture of the loop from outside of the expandable bag. The restraining means is preferably polypropylene tape.
According to another embodiment of the present invention where the insert means included substantially rigid, substantially planar elements or panels that are connected to each other at hinge areas, the biasing means comprises a coiled torsion spring, a leaf spring or other spring means near each hinge area of the insert means.
According to certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the biasing means are torsion springs or U-shaped leaf springs at each hinge area. The ends of the torsion respectively engages panels on opposite sides of the hinge. A flat central portion of each leaf spring is placed outside the hinge area which is simply a fold line in the insert material between the panels. L-shaped end portions at each end of the central portion of each leaf spring, extend through openings on opposite sides of each fold line. This simply and efficiently locks the springs in place without glue or other structure, and caused the springs to act immediately at the hinge area on the fold lines to open the panels. This local action of all the spring means of the invention immediately in the hinge areas, amoung other things, distinguishes the present invention over the prior art.
Where corrugated cardboard is used as the panel material, the corrugations extend parallel to the serial connection of the panels to each other. This is also transverse to the fold lines forming the hinge areas between the panel. When leaf springs are used as the biasing means, the flat areas of the L-shaped end portions of the springs lie flat against the inner surfaces of the cardboard and find a strong wear-resistant area to apply the spring form to the insert to open the panels, without damaging the cardboard material.
In another embodiment of the invention, the torsion springs are replaced by resilient xe2x80x9clivexe2x80x9d hinges forming the hinge areas between the panels which tend to bias the panels toward their open or deployed position naturally when restraining means that hold the panels in their closed, collapsed or insert position, are released. This opening force, again is applied directly in the hinge area as with the other embodiments of the invention.
These live hinges are achieved by making the panels as well as the hinges between the panels, of material, preferably plastic material such as polypropylene, which has an inherent resilience or xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d and tends to return to its open or unfolded state when the holding pressure of the restraining means is removed.
Other features of the invention include cardboard or plastic blanks which can be folded to form the bag stuffers of the present invention.
Although certain preferred embodiments of the invention include a bottom panel and a pair of opposite side panels, which are either folded to the same side of the bottom panel or to opposite sides of the bottom panel to form a Z-shape, the invention operates just as well for certain types of bags with a bottom panel and only a single side panel to form an L-shaped insert.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.